


equivalent exchange

by ntkrrs



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Royai - Freeform, Thunderstorms, Young Royai, general teenage bumbling, you're gonna have to pry dorky roy from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ntkrrs/pseuds/ntkrrs
Summary: During a thunderstorm, Riza and Mr. Mustang trade comforts.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45
Collections: FMA Secret Santa 2020





	equivalent exchange

**Author's Note:**

> happy holidays, [@abutterfly-on-your-shoulder](https://abutterfly-on-your-shoulder.tumblr.com)! i’m your fma secret santa 🎅🏻🎁
> 
> posting this a full day early because why not. special shout out to [@bringingglory](https://bringingglory.tumblr.com), who suggested [this](https://64.media.tumblr.com/3d61714e791ce789d26f7426bcfa6a46/421df2639ad3eac4-73/s540x810/7281ce602c08c65f541edbd80cfd721cd31e2aa5.png) on the royai discord server, which basically led to this thing! so let’s all give thanks 💛
> 
> great work to the [@fmasecretsanta2020](https://fmasecretsanta2020.tumblr.com) team! can’t wait to see what everyone’s come up with 🎄
> 
> i hope you all enjoy your holiday!

Riza shut her eyes, forcing herself to relax, only to jump at the roar of the thunder outside. Lightning flashed in her room, casting terrifying shadows on her walls, and the rain beat heavily against her windows. She hadn’t realized she had held in her breath, letting out in a heavy sigh when the rain began to die down. She was fine. She could do this.

The rain picked up again, faster than she could rationalize, and the thunder bellowed, a sharp crack in the air. Riza pushed off her sheets in a matter of seconds and fled her room, long night gown billowing around her.

She had already knocked twice on the door across her room before she even realized that maybe he was asleep. She was being childish, she was sure, and also so inconsiderate—

“Ms. Riza?”

So lost in her thoughts was she that she jumped at the sound of his voice. “I—I’m sorry, I didn’t—Did I wake you?”

Mr. Mustang smiled at her, a little distressed, his sleep shirt rumpled. “Unfortunately, no. I was studying. Or, well, trying to.”

It occurred to Riza that the rain was probably affecting his concentration. “Is it the rain?”

“Huh?” He blinked. “Oh. Uh, no. It’s…”

He seemed to struggle and Riza peered at him curiously. “It’s… what?”

“I just… Don’t tell Master, okay? You have to promise me you won’t tell him,” he pleaded.

She nodded. “I won’t, I swear.”

“He… he gave me notes, and I can’t…” He ran a hand over his face. “I’ve been reading it for the past hour, and I can’t understand _anything_! His handwriting is _horrible_!” he hissed desperately. “ _Please_ help me, Ms. Riza. He gave me these two days ago and I can’t study them if I can’t _read_ them!” He breathed in, then out. “Sorry. I had a minor breakdown.”

The corner of Riza’s mouth twitched. “I could see that.”

“Please help me,” he begged. “ _Please_ , you’re my only hope.”

She nodded, smiling kindly at him. “I—”

A particularly loud clap of thunder exploded in the air, and Riza couldn’t help it—she squeaked in surprise and barreled into Mr. Mustang’s chest, desperate for comfort.

“Whoa!” he yelped, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she whimpered, face flushed with embarrassment as she pulled away, her arms uncurling from around his waist. “I’m just… I don’t like loud noises.” She flinched at another rumble of thunder. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”

“At least I can finally say that a pretty girl threw herself at me,” he joked, and Riza swore her face caught fire. He seemed to flail at her deepening blush. “Sorry, it was a joke! I didn’t—that was presumptuous—”

Lightning flashed and she shut her eyes, and Mr. Mustang began to rub her arms, the motion soothing. “Hey,” he said, and when she opened her eyes she found him smiling at her. “Do you want to sleep here for the night?”

Her eyes widened at the suggestion and Mr. Mustang snatched his hands back, terror-stricken. “I meant—you know—not _sleep_ , in, uh, that—more like—uh—you can sleep—the _sleep_ sleep, you know, the—I mean, maybe you’d like some company—you can _stay_ —”

She stopped him before he explained himself into a coronary. “Mr. Mustang, calm down.”

His babbling ceased. “Sorry,” he said feebly, looking absolutely miserable. “I’m just really stressed right now.”

She took in his slumped shoulders and long, tired face. “Maybe,” she suggested with uncertainty, “I could help you read my father’s notes, in return for… letting me wait out the storm with you?” She mulled her words over. “An alchemist would call it… equivalent exchange, perhaps?

He stared at her, his face morphing from blank to interested to tearfully hopeful. “You’ll help me?” he whimpered, more grateful than anything else.

She tried not to laugh. “Yes. I can read his writing. It does tend to get… scratchy, in parts.”

Mr. Mustang nodded vigorously, ushering her in as he sprinted to her room to grab her pillows and sheets. The guest room had a fairly large bed to accommodate more people, and he fluffed her pillows on the one side of his bed, letting her get comfortable, swearing up and down that there was enough room.

They went over her father’s notes until her eyes had gotten tired. Her eyelids were heavy despite the light conversation she was having with Mr. Mustang, her answers to his questions running in and out of sense the longer they became. Eventually she had ended up curled on her side, muttering responses when she could, but the low baritone of his voice was beginning to her into an easy slumber. 

A soft, steady drip made her realize that the rain had already stopped. Maybe she should get back to her room.

It went quiet for a while, and she dimly registered someone place a blanket over her, murmuring something. As soon as the sheet hit her chin, her thoughts faded away, sleep claiming her.


End file.
